Picturesque and pristine: Huber donates breathtaking land to state park in Maine

Huber’s timber management business, Huber Resources Corp (HRC), donated approximately 143 acres (58 hectares) of unspoiled land to Baxter State Park in Maine on January 12, 2012. HRC presented the gift to representatives from the Governor’s office and the Baxter State Park Authority at the state capitol in Augusta, Maine.

The donation represents the largest remaining tract of privately owned land around Katahdin Lake in Baxter State Park. Given the land’s unique setting and pristine beauty, it is difficult to accurately assess its value in dollars. However, Huber believes that the land’s true value is immeasurable as it adds lush forests and magnificent vistas of Mount Katahdin, Maine’s highest
mountain, to Baxter State Park. The gift also includes a sand beach known as Church Beach—named after the acclaimed American artist Frederick Church, who painted scenes of Lake Katahdin in the 1800s.

Huber family members first bought land in Maine in the 1940s after enjoying many vacations in the state. The family believes that this donation includes one of the first pieces of land purchased by the Hubers in Maine.

“This gift is a wonderful addition to the Park and in perfect keeping with the vision of Park founder and former Maine Governor Percival Baxter,” says Jensen Bissell, Director of Baxter State Park. “Remaining ‘Forever Wild,’ this portion of the historic Keep Lot will provide backcountry recreation opportunities to generations of Mainers.”

The land was originally part of approximately 200 acres deeded in 1860 by the State of Maine to Reverend Marcus Keep, a missionary and avid hiker who cleared the first trail to the top of Mount Katahdin in 1848.

The gift is a direct outgrowth of one of Huber’s core values: responsible stewardship of the environment. The company understands the importance of preserving and protecting the world’s natural resources for future generations. That is why the donation to Baxter State Park is just the latest in a long list of land donations that Huber has made in Maine. In 1976, Huber donated the Crystal Bog Preserve, which is made up of 4,000 acres (1,620 hectares) of peatland in the towns of Crystal and Sherman. That same year, Huber donated more than 600 acres (243 hectares) near the town of Patten, including land along the Seboeis River at Seboeis Gorge. In 1991, Huber made a gift of 265 acres (107 hectares) of wetlands called Marble Fen, which is home to diverse vegetation and rare plant species.

While Huber has donated or sold many of its timberlands, the company continues to manage more than a half million acres (202,000 hectares) of timberlands for other landowners through Huber Resources, which is based in Old Town, Maine. The business focuses on increasing the sustainable value of forests by using responsible forestry practices, such as forest regeneration and sustained yield harvesting.

Top photo: Commissioner William Beardsley and Doug Denico, Baxter State Park Authority Chair accept a framed photo of the donated land from Sherry Huber, Peter Triandafillou, Vice President, Huber Resources Corp, and Robert Currie, Vice President, Chief Communications & Public Affairs Officer of the J.M. Huber Corporation.

Above photo: Huber’s donation includes about 4,000 feet of frontage along Katahdin Lake and features a sand beach offering full views of Mt. Katahdin.

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